Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game
I'm gonna get crucified on this board for this statement but ................
Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game
Ricketts didn't have a bad game... he was wide open a lot when he was on the left side, just not getting any passes out wide. I don't disagree about Smith though, he is fantastic! Perhaps moving to a 4-4-2 and putting Smith up front with Dichio until we sign our new striker. He should play.
EDIT: Except don't mess with it now while we are winning. International duties will ensure that he gets in soon enough anyways. Carver has pretty much stated that he is on the verge of cracking the starting XI.
I really like Jarod Smith...but I think he can be our super sub to be honest.
like i said in my other post...
On the Ricketts note, Please notice that he gets swarmed by 2 defenders everytime he has the ball!! It was like that for soooo many touches he had tonite!!!
At least he knows how to squeeze the ball out and create something to push downfield!! I like his skills.
I liked Smith as well, he had a very good game tonite!!
Thats true, I just wish Ricketts would run at defenders more.Originally Posted by TFCREDNWHITE
ricketts was great tonight for the first 8 mins, then there was the goal and him and robert switched it up. It seems to me hes just not as effective when he plays on the left side. But like it was stated aboved he also gets swarmed when he has the ball as well....i dont understand why hes such a whipping boy on this board. Since him, guevara and robert signed they havent lost a game. Im sure hes part of the reason
oh yes, and i loved jarrod smith, hes fantastic...also like stated above he should be the super sub comming in every game ahead of cunny
Last edited by Raging Reggie; 05-22-2008 at 12:33 AM.
I like the fact that we have Ricketts and we have Smith...shows that TFC this year have depth especially in the Midfield department...something we lacked last year when most of our guys went down with injuries
Mentioned this in my other post... I AGREE.Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game
Agreed, he has helped our squad a lot. I think he has a lot of potential, Carver just has to find a way to get him to start flying out there. Robert has impressed me big time. Guevera really needs a tango partner out there, and I hope Ricketts can step up and make some really pretty one touch football in our midfield.
I agree 100%, in fact I was going to start this very thread. I am glad Ilooked at the board first.Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game
Smith is match fit right now so give him the start he offers everything that RR does with more pace. Maybe when RR gets match fit he will be able to challenge for the start again.
No Ricketts should start, and I also do not understand why people do not like him as player, he is the winger we have been looking for. As for Smith I like him, but I think that he seems to be a natural striker. He should be developed as such. He has great potential.
If Roberts knee is not ok by Saturday we could see Ricketts start on the left and Smith on the right. Smith has been very good this year...its so good to have depth.
I wouldn't say next game, but soon if Ricketts can't play more consistently. I think its frustrating him too....I saw a little more arm waving from Rohan last night.Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game
Who would crucify a Leprechaun?
I agree that RR gets swarmed by 2 defenders each time, and when he gets the ball, no one besides Wynne makes runs to get into open space for him.
Smith I like a lot. The thing is, some players are good starters and bad off the bench, and some are vice versa. Smith is good coming in for 30 to 40 minutes. He definately changes adds a bit of energy to the team.
But, in every game I have watched Edu looks horrible. If anyone needs to go to the bench it is him.
Smith was solid.. He'll get his playing time surely as we get into these stretches of more games. When he gets more playing time we'll see if he can keep up his play for longer periods. We have barely seen the guy play this season (he's played less than 2 full games -- 144 minutes). He seems exuberant and has drive. His decision-making still needs work with experience (remember when he came on as a sub a few games ago and, again, played with enthusiasm but took bad shots and had trouble crossing). Against LA he scored a goal (off Robert's free kick) but I felt he was kinda invisible otherwise in that game.
So I look forward to seeing him play more but gradually so that he can work on his decisionmaking without the responsibility of 90 minutes.
I am most critical of Edu this season though. I dunno if he's just the same as last season and the team around him is better (so he looks like he's not better), or if he's regressed.
Last edited by rocker; 05-22-2008 at 07:45 AM.
I love Jarod Smith. He is a firecracker and gets thing moving, always in good spots and gets playing going.
RR didn't have a bad game, but when JS came on with the few mins he did seem to be a spark and contributed with a few scoring opportunities...whether he is a "super sub" or not, let's be happy we are deep on the roster this season and keep this thing rolling!
Jarrod Smith and Valez are Toronto's hottest new prospects. I see bright futures for both of them. Along with Edu and Wynne they will be great future for the team. At least until they get drawn to green pastures overseas.
Agreed, but at this point I think he's VERY effective as a super sub. He comes on with good pace and creativity, runs at tired defenders and creates chances. Ricketts has been solid enough to keep his starting position IMO. As been mentioned above, he has been double covered in most every game which makes it hard to push forward but he still does well distributing the ball. From what I've seen he's not an attacking winger, but more of a traditional Right Midfielder. He does his job on the right, draws defenders and moves the ball. Definitely more effective on the right than the left, but to be honest I think the switch happens because Robert is equally as dangerous from the right side. His inside cutting runs from that right side seem to open up teams in this league. Something Ricketts doesn't do.
^ argeed he is a super sub for now but i think he will gets some starts in soon enough.
Your Kidding.
What game were you watching. It's great that TFC won and have a 5 game unbaeten streak. However it has nothing to do with Ricketts.
Smith has been more effective in the less time he has played. I figured it would take Ricketts some time to adjust to a new league and new team but his p[aly ha sbeen going down each game. I say let him rid ethe pine for a few games and observe the play.
The following is analysis of teh game from the Scores soccer reporter. Notice that Ricketts got the worst performance rating on the team (5). It was the same for the Columbus game. He had the worst player rating.
Smith is earning $17k a fraction of what Ricketts is making.
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Toronto 1 - DC United 0 Game Blog
Posted by Joe Ross on May 21, 2008
Toronto gained revenge after that 4-1 nightmare loss in DC with a 1-0 win at BMO Field. Devon McTavish is the guy you want to be thanking if you’re a TFC supporter.
How They Lined Up
----------------------------Sutton-------------------------------
Wynne-----------Velez-----------Marshall----------------Brennan ( c )
---------------------------Robinson-------------------------------
Ricketts--------------------Edu----------------------------Robert
-------------------------------------Guevara--------------------------
----------------------------Dichio------------------------------
Substitutes: Edwards, James, Harmse, Dunivant, Tebily, Smith, Cunningham
---------------------------------Wells--------------------------------
Namoff----------McTavish------------Peralta----------------Martinez
---------------------------------Simms--------------------------------
Quaranta---------------------Gallardo-------------------------Fred
---------------------------------------Moreno ( c )-------------------
--------------------------------Emilio--------------------------------
Substitutes: Carvalho, Burch, Mediate, Kirk, Cordeiro, Doe,
The Positives
∙ Danny Dichio’s night can be summed up in two plays. The first is the goal he scored, where he used his strength to hold off Devon McTavish after the DC centre-half made a horrendous and rather comical error trying to pass back to his own keeper. The second was his sliding block two yards away from goal, robbing Fred of a follow up chance after Sutton stoned him. As for the rest of the play between those moments, Dichio’s shortcomings as the lone striker were shown again. Of course, those shortcomings have nothing to do with a lack of effort. That’s one part of his game that’s never in question, and part of the reason he’s still such a cult hero at Exhibition Place.
∙ Carl Robinson bossed the midfield, seemingly breaking up every DC attack in the middle and following it up with tidy distribution shortly afterwards. I’d argue his play forced Marcelo Gallardo to try and create out wide instead of in the centre of the park. He was TFC’s best player on the day.
∙ Greg Sutton played a mistake free game, and came up with a massive stop on Fred to save the three points. He’s making a strong case to be Canada’s number one with his recent play.
∙ Continuing the trend of players stepping up after I call them out on the blog, Jarrod Smith was very impressive today. He came on for an ineffective Ricketts on 51 minutes and showed plenty of industry on the right wing. He also runs at full speed until he reaches the long balls played over him, unlike Ricketts who seems to slow down to allow the defender to get their first a little too often.
∙ TFC’s defending continues to be outstanding. The horror show backline from the first three games of the season seems like years ago. On this homestand, Toronto conceded only one goal in five matches, and that came off of a free kick.
∙ Marco Velez didn’t help up Gallardo when he crashed hard into the advertising boards. Good show, Marco. This is war, not a tea party!
∙ The Honduran Maradona attempted another overhead kick, which got me all warm and fuzzy inside for a couple of minutes.
∙ The guy who gets completely shitfaced every game in my section showed surprising accuracy when he pelted Gallardo with a beer on a corner kick. Our inebriated anti-hero could barely stand up straight, but when Gallardo trotted over to take the set piece, Drunky Drunkerson turned into Pedro Martinez circa 1999 and fired a dart right off his back. I even saw Gallardo crack a smile afterwards. Drunkerson was given a hero’s praise by the section for his marksmanship. Hopefully he remembers when he wakes up on the couch tomorrow, furrowing his brow with a splitting headache.
The Negatives
∙ The play on the wings was disappointing again. I didn’t think the team was playing the ball out to Robert enough, and the overlaps between wingers and fullbacks seemed disjointed. I’m not sure if Ricketts was hurt or if Carver had just seen enough, but the decision to bring on Smith was the right one.
∙ The team struggled to create chances, with just six shots and only two on target. It’s been the same problems for the last three matches. The build up looks fine, but it all falls apart as soon as TFC reaches the final third. If not for the deplorable defending of McTavish, this very well could have been Toronto’s second consecutive nil-nil.
∙ Rain makes the fieldturf at BMO field almost unbearable to watch a game on. The surface was slicker than John Ferguson Jr.’s hair and trying the play the ball along the deck was very difficult.Bastards at the corn stand doubled the price from one dollar to two for a post-match cob.
∙ The dark side of man was shown after the match, when hundreds of fans descended on the free Doritos chips giveaway boxes like a swarm of locusts outside of the North Stand. Some grown adults were scurrying around with four bags each in their hands, intoxicated with joy. The racoons who pillage my garbage each night show more tact.
It's just a free bag of chips people. Get over it.
Ratings
Sutton 8, Wynne 7, Velez 7, Marshall 7, Brennan 7, Robinson 8, Ricketts 5 (Smith 7), Edu 6, Robert 6 (Dunivant 7), Guevara 7, Dichio 7
Joey’s Final Thought
The homestand was an unquestioned success, with three wins, two draws and only one goal conceded. While there’s plenty of reason to start thinking “playoffs” after this display, I’m still not getting too worked up until we see more of the club’s road form this season. The win over Los Angeles was a step in the right direction. We’ll see if the club can continue its form in DC this Saturday against a clearly wounded animal. I’m going in expecting a point. Another two on top of that would be a bonus.
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No, I'm not kidding. I agree that the wing play has been disappointing, but it's not just the wingers faults. They have had to come inside to get the ball for the most part and then work themselves wide. Ricketts doesn't seem to be an attacking mid, as I mentioned, instead I feel he is more of a true midfield player. He holds up the play well, causes and extra man to cover him leaving space for Guevara/Wynne or whoever else is around him. Notice the times that Wynne did get forward that he had nobody on him until he hit the defensive line? That was thanks to Ricketts drawing an extra man and creating that space. If you can't see all aspects of the game, why bother commenting?
I agree he hasn't been spectacular, or even good, but he's been far from bad. He's doing his job but I will agree 100% that he doesn't seem to be able to play on the left side at all. If they're going to switch the wings as they have been doing, I'd much rather have someone else step up (Jimmy) and have someone else (Robbo) step back to cover.
Ricketts went down hard twice in the opening ten minutes, and seemed the be favouring either his left foot or left leg while on the ground. The second time it seemed to take longer for him to get up. I wondered then whether he was hurt. Both happened around the time he switched to the left side.
Jarrod Smith needs to start ahead of Rohan Ricketts in the next game
Spot on. That's a no brainer, RR is this years Welshie, at least Welshie could look up
Clap Clap!!! I agree with your comments
Last edited by Nuvinho; 05-22-2008 at 08:51 AM. Reason: quoting
Jarrod Smith has been playing super solid over the past few games. I think Edu needs a game off before Ricketts though. Edu's amongst a solid midfield this year compared to last and has to step it up... Just needs to find his groove. I also find that players are starting to hack Edu a lot. But in the mean time... Let's see what Smith can do.
here's my play:
start Jarrod and Duni - but only when it's raining and the temp is below 17 degrees. Robert and RR don't seem to take to the cold well.
Jarrod Smith has been a pleasant addition and his work ethic has to be commended, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. At this point he is not a starter. He excels at the roll Carver has given him. When the team needs a bit of a spark or jump, he's inserted. He is effective as a substitute, but he's not starting material. He is just a better version of Lombardo at this point.
∙ The dark side of man was shown after the match, when hundreds of fans descended on the free Doritos chips giveaway boxes like a swarm of locusts outside of the North Stand. Some grown adults were scurrying around with four bags each in their hands, intoxicated with joy. The racoons who pillage my garbage each night show more tact.
^ QFFT !!!! it was like the world ran out of food
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